Susan Jack was born in the historic city of Lexington, Virginia. She lived there until her parents moved the family back to West Virginia, where their ancestral roots in the mountain state pre-date the Civil War. Susan embraced the mixture of cultures, heritage, history, and arts, of both the Shenandoah Valley and the Appalachian Region people. She grew up participating in 4-H, training and showing registered quarter horses, and participating in athletics which ultimately led to college scholarship offers.

Ms. Jack earned a Bachelor in Arts Degree from West Virginia State College and a Masters in Science Degree from Marshall University. Upon completion of graduate school, she moved to Kentucky, married, and spent much of her early professional career in heavy industry supervision, management, and administration. She began dabbling in small business when she purchased, owned, and operated a small residential and commercial cleaning company. After several successful years, she sold the company to one of her own employees. Susan then assisted her husband in the establishment and operation of a national industrial cleaning company for several years thereafter.

Much of her youth had been consumed with career building, big business, and endless travel associated with work. Upon the birth of her daughter and a very difficult divorce, Ms. Jack decided to establish major changes in her life’s direction. Susan had grown weary of the hustle and bustle, the constant travel, and the strains those things place on one’s life. She possessed a strong desire to slow things down a little, spend more time enjoying her young daughter, and to return home to West Virginia, which she did in 2001.

She began substitute teaching and coaching at a local high school. She was employed by West Virginia University where she served as a member of faculty and as the Lincoln County Extension Agent, reconnecting with her 4-H experiences as a youth. Although she greatly enjoyed her employment and experiences in academia, Ms. Jack always had a yearning to return to small business. Several years later, she was offered and accepted a position with the Advantage Valley Entrepreneurial League System®, as a Recruiter, Entrepreneurial Performance Coach, and ESN Director. Ironically, this is where Susan would meet her future business partner, Linda Smith-Meadows.

During a visit with friends, Alby and Donna Cunningham, Susan’s life took another turn – one that would change her life forever. The Cunninghams were the original founders of The Appalachian Milk Soap Company, a small, yet very successful, handcrafted, natural soap company. They had been in business for nearly a decade (during their semi-retirement) and both had a strong desire to retire full-time and enjoy the later years of their lives. Knowing of Susan’s previous business experience, they approached her with the idea of taking over the company, restructuring it, and taking it to the next level. After much discussion on the matter, Susan agreed to at least think about it.

Susan admits that she had never tried, nor had she used, a natural soap bar in her life, prior to that day. She didn’t know the industry or anything at all about making soap. However, it didn’t take long after using the products for herself, that she became immediately convinced that this was something of very high quality - a true winner. She believed it to be so good that if someone (like her) simply tried the product, that it would sell itself. It was simply that good. Therefore, she started to take the opportunity presented to her, by the Cunninghams, a bit more seriously.

The entrepreneurial juices started to flow and Susan began researching natural products and the soap industry in general. Donna began teaching her how to make soap and sharing with her the most guarded and cherished “Appalachian Milk Soap Recipe”. Ms. Jack and the Cunninghams devoted many hours on the phone and in person, working together and devising a plan to grow the company into the future.

The rest is history, as Susan M. Jack now serves as President of Appalachian Milk Soap, LLC. She enlisted the services of her former ELS client, Mrs. Meadows, to join her as a partner, and as Vice President of Production, within the newly restructured company. Susan also retained former owners and founders, Alby and Donna Cunningham, as partial owners in the restructured company as well. Ms. Jack has a tremendous amount of respect for the Cunninghams as they now serve the company on a more part-time basis, not only as consultants and manufacturing/sales representatives, but as outstanding mentors as well.

Susan’s vision for the company is to expand production and markets for the products, while remaining true to the original recipes developed by Donna Cunningham over the years. Susan’s business philosophy is based on sound practices; production of only the highest quality product, providing the very best in customer service, and giving back to her community by placing an emphasis on doing business with local vendors when at all possible.

Susan believes in empowering others, remaining true to family values, having fun at what you do in life, and encouraging others around her to do the same. She is a diehard West Virginia University Mountaineer Fan and refuses to work during gametimes. She dearly loves the state of West Virginia, the people, places, history, heritage, and her family and friends there. She is a single mother and her beautiful daughter, Jodi Marie, is a big part of the AMS Team as well. Jodi has a way of keeping everyone entertained around the shop. She just may be the next generation of soapmaker, as she is planning her own entrepreneurial experience in the near future, by establishing a line of these wonderfully gentle soaps, just for kids.